Geranium plant named Pink Heart

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct Pelargonium×hortorum cultivar named Pink Heart is provided. This new Zonal Geranium cultivar was the result of a controlled breeding program wherein a plant designated 9380E (non-patented in the United States) was pollinated by the Rio cultivar (non-patented in the United States). The new cultivar forms attractive medium pink florets with a distinct dark rose freckle on each petal. Attractive dark green foliage is well retained during shipment. The growth habit is self-branching and does not require the use of a growth regulator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a new and distinct Geranium cultivar,botanically known as Pelargonium×hortorum Bailey, and hereinafter isreferred to by the cultivar name Pink Heart.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program which hadthe objective of the creation of a new Geranium cultivar that exhibitsuniform flowers, dark green foliage, a medium self-branching growthhabit that requires no growth regulator, a propensity for rapid rooting,and a stable foliage coloration during shipment.

The breeding program that resulted in the production of the new cultivarof the present invention was carried out in a controlled environmentduring 1990 at Arroyo Grande, Calif., U.S.A. The female parent (i.e.,seed parent) was a plant designated 9380E (non-patented in the UnitedStates) which exhibits single pink florets having a dark rose freckle oneach petal and medium-to-light foliage. The male parent (i.e., pollenparent) was the Rio cultivar (non-patented in the United States) whichexhibits single pink florets with dark red freckles on the petals andforms dark green foliage. The parentage of Pink Heart can be summarizedas follows:

    9380E×Rio.

Pink Heart was discovered and selected during 1991 as a highlydistinctive flowering plant from among the pogeny of the stated cross atArroyo Grande, Calif., U.S.A. This plant was initially designatedBFP-537.

It was found that the new cultivar of the present invention:

(a) exhibits attractive single medium pink florets with a distinct darkrose freckle on each petal and with the upper two petals commonly havingslightly larger areas of dark rose than the lower three petals,

(b) forms attractive dark green foliage, and

(c) exhibits a medium self-branching growth habit.

When plant material of the Pink Heart cultivar is subjected to standardrandom amplified polymorphic DNA marker analysis (RAPD) using polymerasechain reaction (PCR) and a known set of DNA primers, it is found toexhibit a distinctive fingerprint map which is on file at the BallFloraPlant Division of Geo. J. Ball, Inc. at Arroyo Grande, Calif.,U.S.A.

The first act of asexual reproduction of the Pink Heart cultivar wasaccomplished when vegetative cuttings was taken from the initialselection in a controlled environment at Arroyo Grande, Calif., U.S.A.,by a technician working under the direction and supervision of theoriginator of the new cultivar. Horticultural examination of plantsresulting from such asexual propagation during 1991 has demonstratedthat the combination of characteristics as herein described for the PinkHeart cultivar is firmly fixed and is retained through successivegenerations of such reproduction.

The new Pink Heart cultivar has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. Accordingly, the described phenotype may varysomewhat with variations in the environment, such as temperature, lightintensity, and day length.

Of the many commercial cultivars, the Rio cultivar (non-patented in theUnited States) is considered to be the most similar to the new PinkHeart cultivar. When the new cultivar of the present invention iscompared to the Rio cultivar, it is found that the Pink Heart cultivarhas considerably more florets per umbel (e.g., approximately 33 to 40vs. approximately 15 to 22). Additionally, the florets of the Pink Heartcultivar are darker in coloration and have larger, overlapping petals asspecified in greater detail hereafter.

The new cultivar of the present invention is being marketed by Geo. J.Ball, Inc. under the Showcase trademark.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs show typical characteristics of the newPink Heart cultivar with colors generally being as nearly true as it isreasonably possible to make the same in color illustrations of thischaracter. The plants were being grown in greenhouses at West Chicago,Ill., U.S.A.

FIG. 1 illustrates the general appearance of a fully-opened umbel asseen from above together with the contrasting dark green foliage.

FIG. 2 illustrates the general appearance of the upper portion of anoverall plant as seen from the side wherein a plurality of umbels arepresented. The dark green foliage coloration is believed to be moreaccurately depicted in FIG. 1 than in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plantsgrown in Ball FloraPlant's greenhouses at West Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.under greenhouse conditions which approximate those generally used incommercial practice. In the following description, color references aremade to the R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society,London, England. The color values were determined between 9:00 and 10:00a.m. on Jul. 21, 1994, under natural light conditions of 2,000footcandles.

Classification:

Botanical.--Pelargonium×hortorum Bailey, cv. Pink Heart.

Commercial.--Zonal Geranium.

INFLORESCENCE

A. Umbel:

Average diameter.--Approximately 9.5 to 11.0 cm. compared toapproximately 9.5 to 10.0 cm. for the Rio cultivar.

Average depth.--Approximately 5.0 to 6.0 cm. compared to approximately5.5 to 6.0 cm. for the Rio cultivar.

Peduncle length.--Approximately 11.0 to 15.0 cm. compared toapproximately 11.0 to 12.0 cm. for the Rio cultivar.

Pedicel length.--Approximately 3.2 to 3.4 cm. compared to approximately2.5 to 3.5 cm. for the Rio cultivar.

Number of umbels/plant.--When grown in a 10 cm. pot at 9 weeks after thesticking of a rooted cutting, there commonly are 5 to 8 umbels perplant. This compares to approximately 6 to 9 umbels per plant for theRio cultivar.

Number of florets/umbel.--When grown in a 10 cm. pot at 9 weeks afterthe sticking of a rooted cutting, there commonly are approximately 33 to40 florets per umbel. This compares to approximately 15 to 22 floretsper umbel for the Rio cultivar.

B. Corolla:

Average diameter.--Approximately 4.5 to 4.6 cm. compared toapproximately 3.9 to 4.1 cm. for the Rio cultivar.

Form.--Both the Pink Heart cultivar and the Rio cultivar are single.However, the petals of the Pink Heart cultivar commonly are larger thanthose of Rio cultivar (e.g., approximately 1.8 to 2.0 cm. compared toapproximately 1.4 to 1.5 cm).

Number of petaloids.--Neither the Pink Heart cultivar nor the Riocultivar forms petaloids.

Color.--General tonality from a distance of three meters: pink with darkeye. Adaxial: Red-Purple Group 73B with a patch of Red Group 52A on eachpetal (with larger areas of 52A on the two upper petals). This comparesto Red-Purple Group 62B with patch of Red-Purple Group 57A on each petal(with larger areas of 57A on the upper two petals) for the Rio cultivar.Abaxial: Red-Purple Group 73C with veins of Red-Purple Group 73B. Thiscompares to Red-Purple Group 62C for the Rio cultivar.

C. Bud:

Shape.--Oval-pointed.

Color.--Adaxial: Red-Purple Group 73B compared to Red-Purple Group 62Bfor the Rio cultivar. Abaxial: Red-Purple Group 73C compared toRed-Purple Group 62C for the Rio cultivar.

D. Reproductive organs:

Androecium.--The anthers are commonly approximately 2 mm. in length. Thepollen color for both the Pink Heart cultivar and the Rio cultivar isOrange-Red Group 31A. The filaments commonly are approximately 4 to 7mm. in length.

Gynoecium.--The pistil length commonly is approximately 11 mm. There isa single stigma which commonly has a length of approximately 7 mm. whichcommonly branches into 5 parts, and, the style length commonly isapproximately 4 mm.

Fertility.--Usually does not produce fruits in the absence of mechanicalfertilization.

E. Spring flowering response period: Approximately 6 to 7 weeks fromrooted cuttings under greenhouse conditions.

F. Outdoor flower production: Freely flowering under outdoor growingconditions with substantially continuous blooming. The petal colorationcommonly does not fade as does that of the Rio cultivar. Also, theplants are more vigorous than those of the Rio cultivar.

G. Durability: Ships well.

PLANT

A. Foliage: Dark green with no pronounced zone.

Form.--Reniform, with cordate base.

Margin.--Crenate.

Color.--Adaxial: Yellow-Green Group 147A for both the Pink Heartcultivar and the Rio cultivar. Abaxial: Yellow-Green Group 146A for boththe Pink Heart cultivar and the Rio cultivar.

Size.--Approximately 7.5 to 8.0 cm. at the widest point andapproximately 6.0 to 6.7 cm. at the narrowest point. This compares toapproximately 6.9 to 7.2 cm. at the widest point and approximately 6.0to 6.2 cm. at the narrowest point for the Rio cultivar. A mediumself-branching growth habit is exhibited in the absence of the use of agrowth regulator.

Tolerance to botrytis.--None claimed. However, the single flower formtends to reduce a problem from Botrytis.

B. General appearance and form:

Internode length.--Commonly varies from approximately 1.5 to 2.0 cm.

Branching pattern.--Freely basal branching. No pinching is required toobtain self-branching. A medium self-branching growth habit is exhibitedin the absence of the use of a growth regulator.

Height.--Approximately 23 26 cm. above a 10 cm. pot at 9 weeks understandard greenhouse conditions.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Geranium cultivar named Pink Heart,substantially as herein shown and described, which:(a) exhibitsattractive single medium pink florets with a distinct dark rose freckleon each petal and with the upper two petals commonly having slightlylarger areas of dark rose than the lower three petals, (b) formsattractive dark green foliage, and (c) exhibits a medium self-branchinggrowth habit.